No. 12 Kansas Knocks Off No. 18 TCU in Four Sets

Wednesday, November 13

Lawrence, Kan.

6:30 PM

University of Kansas

#18 TCU

No. 12 Kansas Knocks Off No. 18 TCU in Four Sets

11/13/2024 7:33:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Highlights Photo Gallery

LAWRENCE, Kan. - The No. 12 Kansas Jayhawks took down the No. 18 TCU Horned Frogs in four sets on Wednesday night in the Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.

"Well, we were really, really sluggish, really not good in the third set," said Kansas Head Coach Ray Bechard. "So when we called time out, I said, 'Hey, whether we're going to win the third set or not, we need to start playing better.' So, I think the message was more at the end of the third set 'Let's get some momentum. We're probably not going to catch them. Let's get some momentum.' I thought that they listened to me maybe for that one time. So, we were actually playing a little better at the end of the third that carried over into the fourth."

The first set between Kansas and TCU was tightly contested, with both teams trading points early. TCU initially led after an attack error, but Kansas quickly equalized with kills from Camryn Turner and Caroline Bien putting them ahead with a 5-2 lead. The Jayhawks took a 10-7 lead after a kill by Reese Ptacek and a block by London Davis, but the Horned Frogs fought back to tie the score at 12. At the media timeout, TCU held a narrow 15-14 lead as both teams continued trading points. After Kansas regained the lead and extended it to 20-17 with a long rally, TCU called a timeout. Kansas went on to take the first set 25-20, led by Toyosi Onabanjo, who recorded five kills and hit .833 in the set. As a team, the Jayhawks hit .343 for the set.

In the second set, Kansas would take the lead early and a Turner ace would give the Jayhawks a 7-3 advantage. TCU would take an early timeout as Kansas would keep its rally going and hold a 9-4 lead after a kill by Bien and an attacking error on the Horned Frogs. The Jayhawks maintained a commanding lead, going up 14-6 extended by a Bryn McGehe ace. However, TCU responded with a 6-1 run, closing the gap to 17-14 and prompting Kansas to call a timeout. Out of the Kansas timeout, the Jayhawks regained a solid 20-15 lead with back-to-back kills by Ayah Elnady and Bien. Kansas took the second set as well 25-21, where they led wire to wire in the set.

The third set opened with a shift in momentum, as TCU Jumped out to a 4-0 lead, prompting an early Kansas timeout. Following the timeout, the Horn Frogs extended its lead to 10-2 with back-to-back aces forcing Kansas to call a second timeout. Out of the break, the Jayhawks would fight back, narrowing the lead in half 10-5 with three straight kills, two from Onabanjo and one from Elnady. Kansas continued to push, cutting the deficit to 20-14, but ultimately fell short as TCU claimed the third set 25-15.

The last set began with both teams splitting the opening eight points. After trading points Kansas pulled ahead 11-6 following an impressive hustle by Burns, which made TCU call a timeout to halt a 4-0 Jayhawks run. Out of the timeout, Kansas extended its lead 15-7, fueled by an 8-0 run that included four kills from the senior Elnady. The Jayhawks continued to widen their advantage to a commanding 20-11 lead. Kansas would confidently secure the set 25-17 with Onabanjo earning the final point for her team.

Onabanjo hit .409 with 12 kills, while Elnady led the Jayhawks with 18 kills, 15 digs and four blocks. Bien ended the night with a double-double after racking up 14 kills and 19 digs. Turner kept the offense moving with 39 assists while also adding four kills, 19 digs and two blocks. Burns led the Jayhawks in digs tonight with 22.

Up next, the Jayhawks will be back in action at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena for a Saturday, November 16 matchup against No. 17 Baylor. First serve is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on ESPN+, with live, in-match coverage on Kansas' StatBroadcast and social media platforms.

Gallery: (11-13-2024) Volleyball vs. TCU